Formula One: The Triumphant Return of Michael Schumacher

Heading into the halfway point for the 2006 F1 season, Michael Schumacher held off Fernando Alonso in a tight duel Sunday May 7th to win the San Marino Grand Prix. Schumacher covered 62 laps around the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit in 1 hour, 31 minutes, 6.486 seconds, with Alonso 2.0 seconds behind.

A look at the current standings:

1) F. Alonzo

44 Points

2) M. Schumacher

31 Points

3) K. Raikkonen

23 Points

4) G. Fisichella

18 Points

5) F. Massa

15 Points

6) J. Montoya

15 Points

7) J. Button

13 Points

R. Schumacher

7 Points

By winning the European Grand Prix on Sunday, Schumacher has re-established himself as a bonafide championship contender. Defending champion Fernando Alonso might find the German a bit tougher last year’s runner-up Kimi Raikkonen was in 2005. The European Grand Prix saw a masterful performance from Schumacher, who put in quick pit stops and matched Alonso lap for lap setting Schumi up to defeat the championship leader for the second successive race. Felipe Massa finished third. And as the point spread between Alonzo and Schumacher narrows, at this point it’s a safe bet to say “it’s anyone’s race”! The remainder of the season looks like this: